📄 Category

public and global health

384 papers

Public and global health examines how we protect communities from disease, manage outbreaks, and improve well-being across the world. This vital field connects diverse research on everything from infectious disease control and vaccination strategies to the social factors that shape our collective health. Because these studies often impact policy and daily life, understanding them quickly is more important than ever.

At Gist.Science, we track every new preprint published in this category on medRxiv to ensure you never miss a breakthrough. We process each submission to provide both plain-language explanations for general readers and detailed technical summaries for experts, making complex findings accessible to everyone.

Below are the latest papers in public and global health, freshly summarized from the most recent medRxiv releases.

📄 public and global health

Strengthening School Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Programme Implementation: Evidence from Expert Consensus in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Through a two-round Delphi study with 20 experts in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya, this paper identifies critical priorities for strengthening school WASH implementation, including coordinated governance, dedicated funding, inclusive infrastructure, and menstrual hygiene management, to improve learner health and educational equity.

SERONEY, G. C., Magak, N. A. G., Mchunu, G. G.2026-04-16
📄 public and global health

Evaluating the impact of school-based interventions on youth loneliness: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis of 38 studies concludes that school-based interventions, particularly psychological and social-emotional skills training, are effective in reducing youth loneliness, although findings should be interpreted with caution due to significant study heterogeneity and reporting inconsistencies.

Sticpewich, L., Stuttard, H., Bu, F., Fancourt, D., Hayes, D.2026-04-16
📄 public and global health

Assessing The Feasibility of AI-Driven Systems for Early Detection of Infectious Diseases at Julius Nyerere International Airport, Tanzania: Policy, Infrastructure, and Ethical Considerations

This study concludes that while AI-driven disease surveillance at Tanzania's Julius Nyerere International Airport is currently infeasible due to infrastructure deficits, workforce gaps, and policy limitations, strategic investments in these areas could enable future implementation to strengthen public health security in low-resource settings.

Malingumu, E. E., Badaga, I., Kisendi, D. D., Pierre Kabore, R. W., Yeremon, O. G., Mohamed, M. A., He, Q.2026-04-13
📄 public and global health

Caregiver knowledge, its determinants and its association with infant and young child feeding and water, sanitation, and hygiene practices among children with severe acute malnutrition in agrarian and pastoral settings of Ethiopia

This study of Ethiopian caregivers of children with severe acute malnutrition reveals that higher caregiver knowledge, driven by factors like literacy, wealth, and health service utilization but hindered by depression, is significantly associated with improved infant feeding and water, sanitation, and hygiene practices.

Areb, M., Huybregts, L., Tamiru, D., Toure, M., Biru, B., Fall, T., Haddis, A., Belachew, T.2026-04-13
📄 public and global health

Predictors of intention to use mobile health apps for comprehensive sexuality education among young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a correlational study

This study of 859 secondary school students in Bukavu, DRC, found that young people's intention to use mobile health apps for comprehensive sexuality education is primarily driven by performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence, with age serving as a significant moderator that strengthens these effects among younger adolescents.

Maneraguha, F. K., Cote, J., Bourbonnais, A., Arbour, C., Chagnon, M., Hatem, M.2026-04-13
📄 public and global health

Policy Levers of HIV Control: Targeted Service Coverage, Financial Protection, and Estimated New HIV Infections in Southeast Asia, 2013-2022

This study of nine Southeast Asian countries from 2013 to 2022 reveals that while aggregate health spending does not significantly impact HIV incidence, targeted infectious disease service coverage effectively reduces new infections, whereas expanded reproductive health coverage and out-of-pocket expenditures correlate with increased incidence due to improved case detection and access barriers, respectively.

Hung, J., Smith, A.2026-04-13
📄 public and global health

Effect of a theory-driven health education intervention on personal protective equipment use among commercial motorcycle riders in Cameroon: A quasi-experimental study

A quasi-experimental study in Cameroon found that a theory-driven health education intervention significantly improved commercial motorcycle riders' knowledge, attitudes, and helmet use, but failed to increase the adoption of other protective equipment, highlighting the need for complementary structural policies.

Ukah, C. E., Tendongfor, N., Hubbard, A., Tanue, E. A., Oke, R., Bassah, N., Yunika, L. K., Ngu, C. N., Christie, S. A. (…)2026-04-12
📄 public and global health

Coordinating collaborative infectious disease modeling projects with the hubverse

This paper introduces the hubverse, a suite of standards and software tools designed to facilitate collaborative infectious disease modeling through centralized hubs, thereby enhancing the relevance, transparency, and robustness of predictions for global decision-makers.

Consortium of Infectious Disease Modeling Hubs,, Kerr, M., Borchering, R., Castro Rivadeneira, A., Contamin, L., Funk, S (…)2026-04-11
📄 public and global health

Characteristics and Correlates of Older Smokers Experiences with E-Cigarette-Related Content on Social Media: Findings from a U.S.-Based Survey

This study finds that while older U.S. smokers encounter e-cigarette content on social media less frequently than younger users, such exposure is positively associated with their intentions to use e-cigarettes in the future, suggesting social media may influence adoption through mechanisms other than altering risk perceptions.

Dycus, R.2026-04-11